Coleton Aglow ~ Kingswear

Why not wrap up warm and explore the garden at Coleton Fishacre as it is aglow with festive light? The streams, beautiful trees and exotic features of the garden are lit for Christmas in spectacular fashion and the house is ready for a 1920s Christmas party this December.

The garden at night:
A walk through the garden during Coleton aglow truly delights. The route leads you between twinkling fairy lights down past the front of the house to the Rill Garden where the stream through the centre of the garden is filled with light and the colours of the summer recreated with uplighters. Down through the centre of the garden the ponds and trees are awash with warm and colourful light, and above your heads disco balls glitter. You’ll pass the Quarry where a giant cocktail glass spills champagne bubbles, reminiscent of the party taking place in the house. At the bottom of the garden you’ll reach the tree fern glade, before coming back up the garden to the summer house, where you can take a moment to admire the views across the route you’ve just walked and see the wave of lights cascade down Cathedral Bank.

This walk takes about 40 minutes, after which you can warm up in the gazebo with a mulled wine. There is also a short route which leads past the house to the gazebo and back, if you aren’t up for walking the entire route or you’re looking to avoid steps and steep hills. Dogs are welcome in the garden on short leads.

Christmas in the house:
The Christmas decorations this year have been inspired by a Christmas party which took place at Coleton Fishacre in 1929. The D’Oyly Carte family built Coleton Fishacre as their country home, and spent their time here relaxing and entertaining in style. When you visit the house you’ll see preparations underway for a glamourous 1920s Christmas party just waiting for the guests’ arrival. You’ll be able to try on your party outfit in the handling room, listen to party music playing in the Saloon and there’ll be parlour games in the Sitting Room such as Gilbert and Sullivan charades.

Dates, times and booking:
Coleton aglow is running on Fridays – Sundays from 1 to 17 December and Wednesdays – Sundays from 20 to 31 December. There are two time slots available to book for your visit: 5-6.30pm or 5.30-7pm.

Normal admissions apply for Coleton aglow, and entry is free for National Trust members and under-fives.

Booking is essential; please call 01803 842382 to book. Places are limited: when you book, you will be allocated a parking space. You will need to bring proof of booking with you to be granted admission to the car park.

SOUTH DEVON RAILWAY ~ Easter Fair

The South Devon Railway will be having an Easter Fair over the full Easter weekend of Friday 30th March and Monday 2nd April 2018.

As well as our heritage train service, with FOUR locomotives in operation on each day, be sure to visit the display at Buckfastleigh for a fascinating selection of heritage vehicles on display.

The Refreshment Rooms at Buckfastleigh are open for everything from a snack to a hot meal, and be sure to call in to the adjacent Gifts & Models shop and view the model railways.

A round trip ticket is valid for travel all day, on all our trains, so you can ride as many trains as much as you like! See if you can get a ride behind each of the four locomotives in operation today! Be sure to also take a ride on the heritage GWR auto trains which are in operation all day, including, for part of the day, the ‘auto sandwich’, where the locomotive will be sandwiched between two auto carriages! The views of the line from the front vestible are not to be missed!
To complement the trains, there will be a selection of vintage cars and motor bikes on display in our gardens at Buckfastleigh station.

Our red London Routemaster bus will also be running around Buckfastleigh and Ashburton as usual. For more information, see the Omnibus Timetable.

BMAD BIKE & MUSIC FESTIVAL 2018

The clock’s ticking. With plenty of Bikes, Incredible Bands across 2 stages, Beer & Cider tent, Traders and so much more. The BMAD Festival has grown into one of the best Biker weekends in the UK.

BMAD is, probably, the biggest biker, music and beer festival in the South West of England. Now in its 13th year and better than ever before. With plenty of bikes, bands and beers to keep everyone happy; and with food, traders and the wonderful beach – it’s likely to be the perfect weekend.

We have put together an incredible line up of some of the top bands in the UK & Europe, including Hells Bells, Stop Stop, Departed, Dizzy Lizzy, 4th Street and plenty more . . There are two stages this year as well.

All the money raised at both the Wednesday Bike Nights and the Festival goes to our chosen charities.

Dartington Food Fair

When: Sunday 27-Monday 28 May 2018

Join us again for another fabulous Bank Holiday weekend filled with foodie fun for all the family!

Working alongside Food and Drink Devon, this events celebrates the very best of Devon’s thriving food and drink community, with an emphasis on local, sustainable produce.

If you’re a Devon food or drink producer who’d like to exhibit at next year’s Food Fair, we’d love to hear from you – download a booking pack from the website, or email events@shops.dartington.org for more information.

Totnes and District Show 2018

Sunday 29th July 2018

Inaugurated by the local farming and town communities 100 years ago, the show has certainly moved with the times, but one of its aims still is to represent life in the wonderful South Hams. Every year we attract thousands of visitors, young and old and there is something for all of them.

We have exciting demonstrations, displays and parades in the Main Ring, our Music Stage speaks for itself and there’s even a sheep shearing competition.

Sheep, cattle and horses compete for showing honours and show jumping is as popular as ever. Amongst a whole host of other things, there’s a Home, Handicraft and Horticulture marquee, Craft Tent, Food Hall and a large trade stands section, offering a wide choice of goods and services.

So come and join us for a great day out on Sunday 29th July 2018 for our Centenary celebration show.